Ash and Honey [BL]

Feng Meiying remained calm against the panic, and when she looked at Fu Ran her lips curled into a gentle smile. Her tone softened. "There now. That's better isn't it?" Like a reassuring mother, her voice comforted him. "Fu Ran, you are not insinuating it to be one of us, but do you think it truly possible?" 

Feng Meiying had sliced through the tension, without giving him the chance to run away. Fu Ran shrunk, and his hands fell to his side.

"...Yes, it is possible." he stuttered. 

Her scarlet eyes shone with thought, and she lightly tucked a long strand of inky hair behind her ear with the rest of the straight locks. 

Fu Ran quickly interjected before more people could argue, "—But rather than suspecting one another. We should just return home! Promptly!" 

"Hah, of course," Jie Baihu rolled his eyes and scoffed, before receiving a direct puff of Feng Meiying's smoke.

Stepping in front of Fu Ran and Zhi Lao, Shesui Lang crossed his arms and said, "It won't be immediate. But I can prepare a new array."

Fu Ran's eyes widened. "Really?" he stuttered. 

"The previous one was a work in progress over the last few days, and I merely put some final touches on it before we left today." Shesui Lang spoke in his matter of fact tone, before he cut a pair of cold blue eyes towards the rest of the Peak Masters. "Since it drains so much qi, and there are quite a few of us here, I will request shares from all of you." 

He scoffed. Shesui Lang clearly wore a look of disappointment directed at his fellow cultivators.

No one would be denying him that request. 

After the affirmative silence, his face slipped into his usual false smile. "That should help ease the burden on myself." He crossed his arms. "—And when we return home: Not a soul will leave the Xing Xing Pavilion entrance hall. Should anyone leave before the rest of us in secret, well that is awfully suspicious, isn't it?" Sheui Lang's words were nearly playful, but they were laced in threat. 

Most people here believed that Shesui Lang had the closest relationship with the Sect Elder Yi Yang, other than Feng Meiying. So his words held weight. 

Fu Ran added, "We should call the disciples back."

"We can't do that." Feng Meiying said sadly. "Peak Elder Yi Yang has already decided. There will be no face left to save if we return within minutes of entering the demon realm."

"Saving face? Is that all that matters?" Fu Ran lowered his head.

"What would such cowardice acts say about An Xian Yun Peak? The disciples of this year should complete it. Yi Yang will likely deem all children unavailable, and having not a single disciple for an entire year is unheard of." Feng Meiying was clear on her stance, and she wasn't one to change her mind on a whim. When decisions were made, she was the first to abide by them. Especially since the Peak Elder was her very own martial brother.

Unheard of my ass! I didn't take a single disciple over the last three years, and I am still here. I would much rather them all fail this year, than die trying to get into a sect. Fu Ran wracked his brain. He thought he understood Yi Yang, but none of this made any sense.

Fu Ran felt his jaw tighten in annoyance, but he held his tongue. 

The masters scattered to idle away their time in various chosen methods. Some sat and read books, others bargained with Feng Meiying for food, while Fu Ran claimed a half dead bush to hide behind.

A single part of his vision lingered on his mind, one he had neglected to tell anyone.

"That man said, 'Your Highness…?' What did he mean?"

***

Many hours passed, and most of the masters waited on standby. 

Occasionally flares would light the sky in the shape of a large silver three. This was the symbol of An Xian Yun Peak, and a plea for aid. Teachers had come and gone at about the eight hour mark, and at this particular moment, the only ones left at camp were: Fu Ran, Zhi Lao, Shesui Lang, Master He and Feng Meiying.

"It's gonna be a long three days if you sit there and sulk," Zhi Lao rasped. A bead of sweat trickled down his face and landed between where his hands firmly pressed against Shesui Lang's teleportation array. It took a lot of energy to cross the barrier of the demon realm, so it required many hours worth of charging.

Fu Ran lifted his gaze. "It's no time at all for us. We are still cultivators and our survivability is much higher, whether we do anything or not," he answered blankly. Three days of doing nothing was… well, nothing. He had done it for 3 years.

By now about half a dozen children had used one of their three flares. Some leeway was given since this mission was only to gauge their existing skills.

One or two could be used in case of an injury or an emergency, but when the third was used, the disciple would be rescued, and then promptly marked as: ineligible. It wasn't an end all, and they could simply try again next year. Why did they have to continue the test?

Please just use the flares. His eyes lowered and he gawked at his companions. Depending on which Master came to help you… You might just want to quit right away because of their bad attitudes. But the ones with the worst personality are with me. So children, you are safe.

Please, just use them.

His hands bundled against his chest.

Crimson fabric whipped with an elegant step and a beautiful woman stood before him. Feng Meiying bent her knees and crouched in front of Fu Ran. "Can I join you?"

As soon as she was given permission, Feng Meiying took a seat. In her arms was a regal jade mirror. If he didn't know its power, Fu Ran would have considered her vain to bring a mirror to the battle field.

This was one of her spiritual weapons. Unlike many cultivators, who wielded only a single sword, Feng Meiying collected a second powerful item. The mirror was placed in Fu Ran's lap and she hung over his shoulder.

The jade mirror showed images of her conjured thoughts. If she was looking to spy, she could do so with ease. Truely, it was best to be on her mind as little as possible if you valued privacy. The glass reflected the sight of a young boy with hair tied up in a long ashen ponytail and the brightest golden eyes. It was Wan Yu.

"Look here, it's your little Nian Gao." She chuckled, her index finger resting against the surface. 

"You saw…?" If Fu Ran didn't hold her in some of the highest respect, he would have rolled his eyes. But he would not deny, Wan Yu certainly was sticky. 

"He was clinging so cutely onto your hand," she said. "How could I miss it?"

Wan Yu stood still in the center of a large forest. The trees barely bore any leaves, and the ones that corruption had not eaten away had turned a sickly poisoned red. He wore a stark red string around his ponytail, and his sword dripped in a similar hue.

He was already several hours deep into the training exercise, and this young boy didn't travel with a single companion. Would he really be okay?

His gaze was empty and distant, like he was looking into another world rather than the dead woods around him.

"Wan Yu…" Fu Ran muttered.

The boy's gaze lifted, and his eyes met the jade mirror.

Both Feng Meiying and Fu Ran felt an intense shudder. As if they saw something not meant for them to notice. 

Decorated nails clacked against the surface of the mirror as Feng Meiying swapped to the image of a different disciple. She blinked a few times, clearly a bit unnerved. "What the…?" When she shifted her gaze back to Wan Yu, the boy was walking normally, crushing branches beneath his feet. 

Her face paled and she chuckled nervously, "Most likely a happenstance."

Now he had another terrible feeling to distract him. Fu Ran felt like he had seen a ghost.